Custom conductive compounds cut signal noise in connectors

"By effectively reducing static charges, we're able to significantly improve the signal-to-noise ratio in our connectors and thus upgrade overall performance of devices," says Marty Ignasiak, president of Connectors Unlimited (Painesville, OH). The improvement was provided by custom conductive materials from compounder RTP Company (Winona, MN).



Connectors Unlimited needed a combination of dimensional stability and static dissipation for its analog connectors.

Ignasiak says the fundamental reason for using RTP’s conductive material compounds in his company’s analog connectors is to minimize noise interference in the electronic signal, which is caused primarily by static charge. In selecting materials, Connectors Unlimited engineers focused on thermal and electrical conductivity and structural rigidity. Holding dimensional stability of the analog circuits during production was a huge concern.



They eventually chose several RTP conductive compounds that provide varying levels of static protection to the circuit connectors. The base resins used are RTP 300 Series polycarbonate and RTP 3400 Series liquid crystal polymer. To ensure rigidity is held through an assembly process that can include soldering, glass and carbon fiber are used, as well as flame retardants to meet UL94 flammability standards. The LCP materials are especially valuable for components that must withstand electronic or solvent cleaning.



Ignasiak notes that the selected RTP materials have the best combination of properties. “They maintain excellent stiffness, while at the same time they provide an array of static reduction levels from slight static dissipation to fully conductive.” He adds that, of the materials tested, these were the only ones that “really, truly worked.” —[email protected]